From The American Mixologist
If doctorates for blended drinks were handed out, the good folks at Vita-Mix would be the first recipients. They have made it their business to know everything there is to know about preparing and marketing killer frozen drinks.
Vita-Mix recently conducted a market survey of leading casual dining establishments around the country and found that the average 16-ounce blended drink yielded a profit margin of $3.02.
Selling fifty blended drinks a day equates to a profit of just under $55,000 per year.
It’s hard to imagine a more lucrative, more responsible type of adult beverage to serve at a bar. Blended drinks possess every marketing attribute one looks for in a specialty drink.
You just need two things to successfully pull off the strategy — know-how and the proper equipment. Educating the staff on how to prepare consistent blended drinks is crucial. If first drink doesn’t taste great, the guest won’t buy a second.
You can have the best recipe on the block, but if your bartenders don’t properly measure the ice, or don’t blend it for the right amount of time, the drink is going to be inferior. Consistency in every sense of the word is critical to the process.
When it comes to investing in a bar equipment, beverage operators today are savvier than ever. They’re looking past purchase price and considering such factors as maintenance cost and speed of service.
Jamba Juice switched to Vita-Mix blenders because they found that the increased speed of service and the resulting enhanced quality of their smoothies more than offset the higher purchase price of the equipment.
Their people were no longer having to re-blend drinks with more ice to achieve the desired consistency. Don’t try to get Ed Kolesar to go back to using inexpensive bar blenders in his restaurants.
As the operating partner of P. F. Chang’s in Scottsdale, he has tossed out more than his fair share weak, burnt out blenders. “We actively promote our frozen drink specialties and we need equipment that can keep up with demand.
We found that in the Vita-Mix blender. It’s durable, gear-driven and makes consistent drinks every time.” Kolesar didn’t outfit his machines with the optional noise abatement chambers. “The blenders rev like well-tuned engines and their sound injects energy into our bistro.
I think the sound alone makes people more receptive to ordering blended drinks. It certainly works well for us.” The machine’s time function allows Kolesar’s bartenders to make other drinks in an order and simultaneously create a perfectly blended drink.
The secret to a technologically advanced blender like the Vita-Mix can be found in the design of its blades, the singular shape of their canisters and the power efficiency of their 2-3 horsepower motors.
Outfitting your bar with state-of-the-art equipment is like handing a talented musician a finely crafted instrument. In both cases expect a standing ovation.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A Smart Way to Increase and Protect Your Wealth Building
By David D. Wells
Businesses and consumers have been hit hard in regard to current rising energy prices. At a recent meeting I ordered pizza and drinks for everyone. I noticed on the Dominos receipt that there was a surcharge.
I asked the driver what the surcharge was for and he replied that with the rising gasoline prices the company has had to pass along the higher expense.
I began to take a look at our other expenses such as sending overnight packages and the like and saw price increases across the board.
Since energy prices affect every industry to some degree, I decide to do what Fortune 500 companies do, which is hedge our expenses against future increases. We accomplished this by trading futures contracts in energy.
When our vendors begin to pass along price increases to us we can offset these increases with profits made from the energy markets.
This also makes us smarter businesspeople because when energy prices go down and vendors attempt to pass along still more increases, we let them know that their costs are actually going down.
We do not pay the higher fees they are requesting when this happens. This has caused vendors to be less likely to pass higher costs down to us.
Also by hedging we have kept our expenses down and steady while some of our competitors are not able to do so. If you trade commodities as a consumer you too can avoid unnecessary fees being passed on to you.
This is done by keeping an eye on prices that impact your expenses. If you notice prices increasing when the price on the actual product is decreasing in the commodity markets, then be sure to speak up.
Remember there is a lag time between the price of the commodity and the price you pay. For example, crude oil recently made record highs but it was about a week or two before the price you pay at the pump was impacted.
You can also profit substantially and therefore pay the higher fees when the fees are simply unavoidable. You will need these profits to handle future inflation.
I expect inflation to rise in the future. I have been keeping an eye on food and energy prices for some time.
The demand from China and India, both with over 1 billion people, signals even higher food prices, which have a direct impact on inflation. The inflation magnification caused by a lower U.S. dollar policy by the government does not help.
The U.S. dollar is worth less and therefore able to buy less food and energy. This is virtually wiping out the middle class in America. I believe it is getting to the point where every middle class family will be forced to supplement their income in some way.
Begin now to position yourself to hedge against higher food and energy prices. Careful preparation can help you not only protect your wealth building but, increase your wealth dramatically.
© Copyright David D. Wells. All rights reserved. You are welcome to forward the entire Article to anyone interested as long as it is not edited in anyway and includes the Resource Box.
David D. Wells is a superstar trader and bestselling author. Let him show you how fortunes are made in the 21st century. Subscribe to his free newsletter at http://www.themoneymotivator.com
For more information and a detailed explanation on how to put this information to use get Wealthy Investing Secrets at http://www.TheMoneyMotivator.com/
Businesses and consumers have been hit hard in regard to current rising energy prices. At a recent meeting I ordered pizza and drinks for everyone. I noticed on the Dominos receipt that there was a surcharge.
I asked the driver what the surcharge was for and he replied that with the rising gasoline prices the company has had to pass along the higher expense.
I began to take a look at our other expenses such as sending overnight packages and the like and saw price increases across the board.
Since energy prices affect every industry to some degree, I decide to do what Fortune 500 companies do, which is hedge our expenses against future increases. We accomplished this by trading futures contracts in energy.
When our vendors begin to pass along price increases to us we can offset these increases with profits made from the energy markets.
This also makes us smarter businesspeople because when energy prices go down and vendors attempt to pass along still more increases, we let them know that their costs are actually going down.
We do not pay the higher fees they are requesting when this happens. This has caused vendors to be less likely to pass higher costs down to us.
Also by hedging we have kept our expenses down and steady while some of our competitors are not able to do so. If you trade commodities as a consumer you too can avoid unnecessary fees being passed on to you.
This is done by keeping an eye on prices that impact your expenses. If you notice prices increasing when the price on the actual product is decreasing in the commodity markets, then be sure to speak up.
Remember there is a lag time between the price of the commodity and the price you pay. For example, crude oil recently made record highs but it was about a week or two before the price you pay at the pump was impacted.
You can also profit substantially and therefore pay the higher fees when the fees are simply unavoidable. You will need these profits to handle future inflation.
I expect inflation to rise in the future. I have been keeping an eye on food and energy prices for some time.
The demand from China and India, both with over 1 billion people, signals even higher food prices, which have a direct impact on inflation. The inflation magnification caused by a lower U.S. dollar policy by the government does not help.
The U.S. dollar is worth less and therefore able to buy less food and energy. This is virtually wiping out the middle class in America. I believe it is getting to the point where every middle class family will be forced to supplement their income in some way.
Begin now to position yourself to hedge against higher food and energy prices. Careful preparation can help you not only protect your wealth building but, increase your wealth dramatically.
© Copyright David D. Wells. All rights reserved. You are welcome to forward the entire Article to anyone interested as long as it is not edited in anyway and includes the Resource Box.
David D. Wells is a superstar trader and bestselling author. Let him show you how fortunes are made in the 21st century. Subscribe to his free newsletter at http://www.themoneymotivator.com
For more information and a detailed explanation on how to put this information to use get Wealthy Investing Secrets at http://www.TheMoneyMotivator.com/
Monday, November 26, 2007
Meditation for the Law of Attraction
From http://www.millionaireinside.com/
So you know the Law of Attraction. It may have worked for you in some cases. You’re hooked. But how can you move to the next level? Is there a way to give a turbo charge to your ability to manifest?
Actually, there is! Using meditation, you will find that you are able to manifest things far more clearly and quickly than ever before.First let’s broach the topic of meditation. Meditation is very often misunderstood.
There is nothing more simple, nor more difficult for the modern rat-race mind to comprehend or practice. Allow me to assist you in getting a feel for the experience. I am going to pull out some crazy voodoo now, so please prepare yourself.
When I tell you, I want you to stop reading this article and listen very carefully. You will hear something, but it will be feint! You must listen very, very carefully – what you hear will amaze you! Ok, stop reading and listen right now.
Did you hear anything? Maybe so, maybe not. That’s not important – my voodoo act was a trick. What you did experience in the few seconds that you spent listening intently was a pure state of meditation.
Your mind was stopped, you were entirely focused in the here and now, and you were present.
Our minds are our worst enemy. They live in the past; they live in the future. We think of what was, and we think about what we hope (and fear) will be.
Meditation, and in fact reality, is in the present. It is in the here and now moment only. Time is an illusion, and the more our minds wander through the past and the future the more of the magic of reality we miss.
Reality is not a static, solid, predictable and measurable thing. Our minds block it off that way, but reality itself is ever shifting, ever changing, world without end. In the meditative moment, we learn to tune into the present moment.
As a result, we begin to know ourselves more deeply and will eventually begin to see reality more as it truly is – a magnificent, mysterious gift! But more importantly, when we are in the meditative moment, our powers of manifestation are immensely magnified.
So here’s the law of attraction meditation. You need not master the meditative state nor become a Zen master to perform this meditation! Simply try this for a few minutes every day and before long you will find it is actually quite easy.
First, sit in a private, quiet place. Relax. Become aware of the sounds around you. Then become aware of the intermixing of those sounds.
If you have an air conditioner and a fan in your room, you may have noticed upon drifting to sleep the ways in which those two sounds mix, interfere, and change. Become aware of the interplay of the sounds around you.
This helps to relax the mind and bring your focus into the present. Now once you are relaxed and your mind has stopped blasting you with thoughts, you want to begin to imagine what it is that you want, as though you are in it right now.
Basically, daydream! Daydream of having what you want, and you will begin feeling the good emotions of happiness, excitement, and joy. Do this as long as you can, and then relax for another moment, be aware of your breathing for a few breaths, release, and go back to your normal life.
This sounds deceptively simple, but the amount of power contained in a meditation state far surpasses the typical rat-race mentality in which we generally attempt our manifestation visualizations.
You will realize the power of this very quickly as the speed and accuracy of your manifestations will astound you. And remember – keep practicing. It only gets easier the more you do it, and the benefits to your life, your dreams, and your joy are more than worth any initial struggle! Good luck!
So you know the Law of Attraction. It may have worked for you in some cases. You’re hooked. But how can you move to the next level? Is there a way to give a turbo charge to your ability to manifest?
Actually, there is! Using meditation, you will find that you are able to manifest things far more clearly and quickly than ever before.First let’s broach the topic of meditation. Meditation is very often misunderstood.
There is nothing more simple, nor more difficult for the modern rat-race mind to comprehend or practice. Allow me to assist you in getting a feel for the experience. I am going to pull out some crazy voodoo now, so please prepare yourself.
When I tell you, I want you to stop reading this article and listen very carefully. You will hear something, but it will be feint! You must listen very, very carefully – what you hear will amaze you! Ok, stop reading and listen right now.
Did you hear anything? Maybe so, maybe not. That’s not important – my voodoo act was a trick. What you did experience in the few seconds that you spent listening intently was a pure state of meditation.
Your mind was stopped, you were entirely focused in the here and now, and you were present.
Our minds are our worst enemy. They live in the past; they live in the future. We think of what was, and we think about what we hope (and fear) will be.
Meditation, and in fact reality, is in the present. It is in the here and now moment only. Time is an illusion, and the more our minds wander through the past and the future the more of the magic of reality we miss.
Reality is not a static, solid, predictable and measurable thing. Our minds block it off that way, but reality itself is ever shifting, ever changing, world without end. In the meditative moment, we learn to tune into the present moment.
As a result, we begin to know ourselves more deeply and will eventually begin to see reality more as it truly is – a magnificent, mysterious gift! But more importantly, when we are in the meditative moment, our powers of manifestation are immensely magnified.
So here’s the law of attraction meditation. You need not master the meditative state nor become a Zen master to perform this meditation! Simply try this for a few minutes every day and before long you will find it is actually quite easy.
First, sit in a private, quiet place. Relax. Become aware of the sounds around you. Then become aware of the intermixing of those sounds.
If you have an air conditioner and a fan in your room, you may have noticed upon drifting to sleep the ways in which those two sounds mix, interfere, and change. Become aware of the interplay of the sounds around you.
This helps to relax the mind and bring your focus into the present. Now once you are relaxed and your mind has stopped blasting you with thoughts, you want to begin to imagine what it is that you want, as though you are in it right now.
Basically, daydream! Daydream of having what you want, and you will begin feeling the good emotions of happiness, excitement, and joy. Do this as long as you can, and then relax for another moment, be aware of your breathing for a few breaths, release, and go back to your normal life.
This sounds deceptively simple, but the amount of power contained in a meditation state far surpasses the typical rat-race mentality in which we generally attempt our manifestation visualizations.
You will realize the power of this very quickly as the speed and accuracy of your manifestations will astound you. And remember – keep practicing. It only gets easier the more you do it, and the benefits to your life, your dreams, and your joy are more than worth any initial struggle! Good luck!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Start making your own favorite cocktails
By: David Yuri
Everybody loves good cocktails and the great thing about them is that they are not that hard to make at home if you have the right recipes.
In this article we are going to give you some of the most popular mixed drink recipes, starting with the Classic Martini for you to have as reference. All these cocktails are special and they have different ingredients that make them special and exotic.
Make sure that you use exactly the same ingredients mentioned in these mixed drink recipes so that you obtain the exact taste you are looking for.
The Classic Gin Martini – in order to make a great Martini you need some dry vermouth and 2 ounces of your favorite gin. Begin by pouring a small amount of dry vermouth into a chilled martini glass and then swirl it so that you coat the inside of the glass.
Then, fill a cocktail shaker with ice and gently stir in the gin. When you’re done, pour the mixture into a glass. If you are looking for an exotic look for your cocktails you may want to garnish the glasses with lemon twist or shave, olive or cocktail onion and add ice if required.
Please note that there are quite many variations on this recipe and that is why it is up to your personal preference to add more or less amounts of the ingredients.
Cosmopolitan Cocktail - is one of the most popular mixed drink recipes and in order to have a perfect Cosmopolitan you need 1/2 ounce or Triple Sec or Cointreau, 3/4 ounce of vodka, 1 ounce of cranberry juice, some lime (squeeze a dash) and optional some lemon (squeeze a dash). In order to serve the
Cosmopolitan cocktails you need to stir the ingredients in a mixer with some ice and then pour the mixture in a previously chilled martini glass. At the end you should garnish the glasses with slices of lemon.
Sex on the Beach Cocktail – is another popular mixed drink that is made of the following ingredients: 1 ounce vodka, 1/2 ounce peach schnapps, 1/2 ounce creme de cassis, 2 ounce cranberry juice, 2 ounces orange juice, orange slice as garnish, and cherry to garnish.
For serving this drink you need to consult some mixed drink recipes, however the main idea is to pour all the ingredients into a shaker after adding ice and shake well. When you’re done pour the mixture into a glass and garnish it with the orange slice and cherry.
Bloody Mary Cocktail – one of the most popular cocktails and it is quite simple to make using the following ingredients: 3 ounces tomato juice, 1 1/2 ounces vodka, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce, celery stalk as garnish, and lemon also for garnish.
All you need to do in order to make a great Bloody Mary cocktail is to mix all the liquid ingredients into a tall glass in which you put some ice and stir well, then add the condiments to reach the desired taste.
You can choose to make it spicier by adding more pepper and hot pepper sauce or you can make it just a little bit spicy so that to pinch your tongue just a little when serving it.
Manhattan – is one of the most loved mixed drink recipes that requires the following ingredients: 2 ounces vodka, 2 ounces fresh lime juice, 2 ounces fresh lemon juice, 2 ounces pure grape juice.
In order to make the cocktail you need to mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker / stirrer and pour everything into a weird looking glass. Also, you need to add some crushed ice and some decorations to create a special drink.
With the right mixed drink recipes you can make your favorite cocktails at home whenever you want and dazzle your friends with your incredible bartending qualities.
Everybody loves good cocktails and the great thing about them is that they are not that hard to make at home if you have the right recipes.
In this article we are going to give you some of the most popular mixed drink recipes, starting with the Classic Martini for you to have as reference. All these cocktails are special and they have different ingredients that make them special and exotic.
Make sure that you use exactly the same ingredients mentioned in these mixed drink recipes so that you obtain the exact taste you are looking for.
The Classic Gin Martini – in order to make a great Martini you need some dry vermouth and 2 ounces of your favorite gin. Begin by pouring a small amount of dry vermouth into a chilled martini glass and then swirl it so that you coat the inside of the glass.
Then, fill a cocktail shaker with ice and gently stir in the gin. When you’re done, pour the mixture into a glass. If you are looking for an exotic look for your cocktails you may want to garnish the glasses with lemon twist or shave, olive or cocktail onion and add ice if required.
Please note that there are quite many variations on this recipe and that is why it is up to your personal preference to add more or less amounts of the ingredients.
Cosmopolitan Cocktail - is one of the most popular mixed drink recipes and in order to have a perfect Cosmopolitan you need 1/2 ounce or Triple Sec or Cointreau, 3/4 ounce of vodka, 1 ounce of cranberry juice, some lime (squeeze a dash) and optional some lemon (squeeze a dash). In order to serve the
Cosmopolitan cocktails you need to stir the ingredients in a mixer with some ice and then pour the mixture in a previously chilled martini glass. At the end you should garnish the glasses with slices of lemon.
Sex on the Beach Cocktail – is another popular mixed drink that is made of the following ingredients: 1 ounce vodka, 1/2 ounce peach schnapps, 1/2 ounce creme de cassis, 2 ounce cranberry juice, 2 ounces orange juice, orange slice as garnish, and cherry to garnish.
For serving this drink you need to consult some mixed drink recipes, however the main idea is to pour all the ingredients into a shaker after adding ice and shake well. When you’re done pour the mixture into a glass and garnish it with the orange slice and cherry.
Bloody Mary Cocktail – one of the most popular cocktails and it is quite simple to make using the following ingredients: 3 ounces tomato juice, 1 1/2 ounces vodka, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce, celery stalk as garnish, and lemon also for garnish.
All you need to do in order to make a great Bloody Mary cocktail is to mix all the liquid ingredients into a tall glass in which you put some ice and stir well, then add the condiments to reach the desired taste.
You can choose to make it spicier by adding more pepper and hot pepper sauce or you can make it just a little bit spicy so that to pinch your tongue just a little when serving it.
Manhattan – is one of the most loved mixed drink recipes that requires the following ingredients: 2 ounces vodka, 2 ounces fresh lime juice, 2 ounces fresh lemon juice, 2 ounces pure grape juice.
In order to make the cocktail you need to mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker / stirrer and pour everything into a weird looking glass. Also, you need to add some crushed ice and some decorations to create a special drink.
With the right mixed drink recipes you can make your favorite cocktails at home whenever you want and dazzle your friends with your incredible bartending qualities.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Don't forget to shop at small businesses
By Rhonda Abrams
It's the holiday season, and all over America, you'll hear one phrase repeated over and over. No, not "Merry Christmas" or "Peace on Earth." It's those three little words that keep our economy moving: "Let's go shopping!"
This year, I'd like you to change that phrase to "Let's go shopping at a small business!"
Patronizing small businesses is a matter of self-interest, especially if you're in business yourself or work for a small company.
After all, I'd bet many of your own clients or customers are also small companies. By supporting the small business sector, you're indirectly helping your own company to thrive.
You're also likely to find great products or services, unique gifts, and get terrific customer service at a time when you'll get pushed around at the mall. Moreover, you'll be sustaining jobs in your own community since most small businesses are local.
Sure, the big box retailers are the ones with those tempting, colorful, multipage inserts in the newspaper (thank you, big guys, for helping to keep newspapers in business). I'm not saying that you should stay away from them entirely; I know I'll be shopping at some giant stores myself this season.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: America Toys
But how about saving some of your holiday purchases for small companies? Small businesses may not always offer the rock-bottom price, but you can find some wonderful values, especially on products or services where small businesses excel.
Here are some ideas on types of gifts particularly well suited for you to purchase from small companies:
•Specialty food products and fresh foods.
Chocolate, jams, sauces, fresh fruit baskets — yum! Gifts of food are certain to please, and some of the best tasting and most unique products come from small companies.
Just this week, I found beautiful, hand-canned jars of the most wonderful-tasting summer tomatoes at my local farmers market; I'm bringing these as hostess gifts for holiday parties.
To find specialty food products, do an online search for the category of food you want, and check out local grocery and culinary stores. One online source is operated by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade at www.specialtyfoodmarket.com.
Don't forget the farmers' markets if they're still operating near you this time of year.
•Toys.
Remember when toys were made in America? Some still are. With the recent spate of recalls because of lead-based paint in some imported toys, this is a great year to check out toys from small American inventors and manufacturers.
I'm not bashing imported goods — many small companies are importers. But you'll find some of the most inventive, child-pleasing choices by looking for products from small American companies. After all, how many Barbies does your child really need?
One online source — also a small business — is Fat Brain Toys, www.fatbraintoys.com. Click on "American Made" in their pull-down menu. They're dedicated to selling toys that are not only fun, but that make kids smarter, too.
•Electronics and installation services.
Retailers are predicting this to be a major year for the purchase of high definition television sets. Most people are probably going to buy one from a giant retailer, but you don't have to.
Even if you do, that doesn't mean you have to use the megastore's "Nerd Herd" employees to install your new electronic purchases.
Instead, look for a local, experienced electronics specialist. They may actually save you money by helping you choose the products that are right for your home. They can certainly help you get all those wires and cables connected correctly.
Look for ads in your local newspaper (yes, small businesses advertise, too). Check local design magazines and search online.
•Arts and crafts.
This is one area where small businesses — even one-person businesses — still dominate in America. And there's nothing as special as giving a one-of-a-kind gift that may become a family heirloom or keepsake.
Find these at one of the many holiday crafts fairs held in most cities this time of year. You can find unique, beautiful gifts -including ceramics, jewelry, paintings, kitchen gadgets, even wearable art. Check your local newspaper for listings of crafts fairs.
Rhonda Abrams is president of The Planning Shop, publisher of books for entrepreneurs. Their newest is Finding an Angel Investor In A Day. Register for Rhonda's free business planning newsletter at www.PlanningShop.com. For an index of her columns, click here. Copyright Rhonda Abrams 2007.
It's the holiday season, and all over America, you'll hear one phrase repeated over and over. No, not "Merry Christmas" or "Peace on Earth." It's those three little words that keep our economy moving: "Let's go shopping!"
This year, I'd like you to change that phrase to "Let's go shopping at a small business!"
Patronizing small businesses is a matter of self-interest, especially if you're in business yourself or work for a small company.
After all, I'd bet many of your own clients or customers are also small companies. By supporting the small business sector, you're indirectly helping your own company to thrive.
You're also likely to find great products or services, unique gifts, and get terrific customer service at a time when you'll get pushed around at the mall. Moreover, you'll be sustaining jobs in your own community since most small businesses are local.
Sure, the big box retailers are the ones with those tempting, colorful, multipage inserts in the newspaper (thank you, big guys, for helping to keep newspapers in business). I'm not saying that you should stay away from them entirely; I know I'll be shopping at some giant stores myself this season.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: America Toys
But how about saving some of your holiday purchases for small companies? Small businesses may not always offer the rock-bottom price, but you can find some wonderful values, especially on products or services where small businesses excel.
Here are some ideas on types of gifts particularly well suited for you to purchase from small companies:
•Specialty food products and fresh foods.
Chocolate, jams, sauces, fresh fruit baskets — yum! Gifts of food are certain to please, and some of the best tasting and most unique products come from small companies.
Just this week, I found beautiful, hand-canned jars of the most wonderful-tasting summer tomatoes at my local farmers market; I'm bringing these as hostess gifts for holiday parties.
To find specialty food products, do an online search for the category of food you want, and check out local grocery and culinary stores. One online source is operated by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade at www.specialtyfoodmarket.com.
Don't forget the farmers' markets if they're still operating near you this time of year.
•Toys.
Remember when toys were made in America? Some still are. With the recent spate of recalls because of lead-based paint in some imported toys, this is a great year to check out toys from small American inventors and manufacturers.
I'm not bashing imported goods — many small companies are importers. But you'll find some of the most inventive, child-pleasing choices by looking for products from small American companies. After all, how many Barbies does your child really need?
One online source — also a small business — is Fat Brain Toys, www.fatbraintoys.com. Click on "American Made" in their pull-down menu. They're dedicated to selling toys that are not only fun, but that make kids smarter, too.
•Electronics and installation services.
Retailers are predicting this to be a major year for the purchase of high definition television sets. Most people are probably going to buy one from a giant retailer, but you don't have to.
Even if you do, that doesn't mean you have to use the megastore's "Nerd Herd" employees to install your new electronic purchases.
Instead, look for a local, experienced electronics specialist. They may actually save you money by helping you choose the products that are right for your home. They can certainly help you get all those wires and cables connected correctly.
Look for ads in your local newspaper (yes, small businesses advertise, too). Check local design magazines and search online.
•Arts and crafts.
This is one area where small businesses — even one-person businesses — still dominate in America. And there's nothing as special as giving a one-of-a-kind gift that may become a family heirloom or keepsake.
Find these at one of the many holiday crafts fairs held in most cities this time of year. You can find unique, beautiful gifts -including ceramics, jewelry, paintings, kitchen gadgets, even wearable art. Check your local newspaper for listings of crafts fairs.
Rhonda Abrams is president of The Planning Shop, publisher of books for entrepreneurs. Their newest is Finding an Angel Investor In A Day. Register for Rhonda's free business planning newsletter at www.PlanningShop.com. For an index of her columns, click here. Copyright Rhonda Abrams 2007.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
3 Ways To Invest $100 And Turn It Into $1.4 Million In Under 2 Years
By Martin Thomas
All great wealth starts somewhere. Investment and compounding money are the well established pathway's to wealth. All exponential money generation is responsible for the wealth people have. In this article we explore 3 ways to invest $100
To compound your money passively is one thing and you will get a certain result. Usually very low. To invest $100 in the traditional investment vehicles which offer returns of 5% to 10% would almost be futile.
At 10% investing $100 you would have to wait 100 years to have a total of $1.4 million dollars.
If you had to wait 100 years at 10% you would probably say to yourself....well....I cant take it with me.
What is interesting is that when we do these calculation's to look at compounding interest, which is getting paid interest upon interest. We forget that it is not the years that matter but the number of multiplication's.
Essentially, we can look at the above example and ask...why do those 100 multiplications have to be years? Why can't they be week's? Or day's? The problem becomes interesting. Investing $100 to make $1.4 million dollar's in 100 years is unworkable.
But to make $1.4 million in 100 week's or just 2 years, now it gets kinda exciting doesn't it?
When we forget about banks and traditional investment vehicle's we start to think, well, how CAN I invest $100 and end up with $110 by the end of the week?
Because, if I can do that, there is nothing to stop me from making $1.4 million dollars in 2 years. The reason why is because the proportional increase is the same...it is always 10% so no matter what level you are at, $100 or $100,000 you are still after that same proportion or 10%
Another way to look at it, is what if we could raise the compounder? What if instead of 10% we manufacture 20% per week. That's just $20 in the first week, in the second week it's $22 and so on. This does sound do-able.
Actually it is very do-able. Think outside the square and develop a strategy that can make you $10 from investing $100 If you can do that, you have a unit of value in the form of an investment vehicle that could conceivably make you $1.4 million in 2 years or less.
Essentially you want to look at business model's that are automated or semi-automated and that is a big clue. Because if it isn't automated you must start from scratch every week. But if it is automated, then it becomes passive and that means you can add to it every week.
So the one big answer that I can give you is look at the Internet. The Internet's very nature is that it is automated. It's like one big vending machine and all the user's do all the work themselves and serve themselves.
So here are 3 way's you can consider.
Ebay
You can look at purchasing thing's for under value and resell them for 10% percent more after all cost's. In this way you can progressively trade up and up from cars to land to houses to businesses.
Article's
Buy 300 word (NON PLR) articles for $5 and submit them to article directories on the Internet. Say 100 articles bring in $1000 of commission's that means your return is 100% So with your $100 you buy 20 article's which give you a return of $200, then you buy 40 more article's that give you $400 and so on.
(Note: They must be original articles written by writers that do not cut and paste...there are articles for sale in bundles that lots of people buy. These are completely useless)
Advertising
Advertise the products of a vendor you are an affiliate of. Google Adwords, MSN adcenter, and Yahoo advertising all provide a way to place a small ad in their search results.
So when someone searches for "blue widget" and you sell blue widget's you will be right there and get the referral commission.
If you spend $100 on advertising and get a return of 50% you can easily compound that money into $1.4 million dollars by adding to your advertising and finding more and more products to represent.
If you would like to discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you.
Click the link below to learn HOW you will begin compounding your capital towards your first Million Dollars. click here to learn about the EasyCorporateMoney.com program
All great wealth starts somewhere. Investment and compounding money are the well established pathway's to wealth. All exponential money generation is responsible for the wealth people have. In this article we explore 3 ways to invest $100
To compound your money passively is one thing and you will get a certain result. Usually very low. To invest $100 in the traditional investment vehicles which offer returns of 5% to 10% would almost be futile.
At 10% investing $100 you would have to wait 100 years to have a total of $1.4 million dollars.
If you had to wait 100 years at 10% you would probably say to yourself....well....I cant take it with me.
What is interesting is that when we do these calculation's to look at compounding interest, which is getting paid interest upon interest. We forget that it is not the years that matter but the number of multiplication's.
Essentially, we can look at the above example and ask...why do those 100 multiplications have to be years? Why can't they be week's? Or day's? The problem becomes interesting. Investing $100 to make $1.4 million dollar's in 100 years is unworkable.
But to make $1.4 million in 100 week's or just 2 years, now it gets kinda exciting doesn't it?
When we forget about banks and traditional investment vehicle's we start to think, well, how CAN I invest $100 and end up with $110 by the end of the week?
Because, if I can do that, there is nothing to stop me from making $1.4 million dollars in 2 years. The reason why is because the proportional increase is the same...it is always 10% so no matter what level you are at, $100 or $100,000 you are still after that same proportion or 10%
Another way to look at it, is what if we could raise the compounder? What if instead of 10% we manufacture 20% per week. That's just $20 in the first week, in the second week it's $22 and so on. This does sound do-able.
Actually it is very do-able. Think outside the square and develop a strategy that can make you $10 from investing $100 If you can do that, you have a unit of value in the form of an investment vehicle that could conceivably make you $1.4 million in 2 years or less.
Essentially you want to look at business model's that are automated or semi-automated and that is a big clue. Because if it isn't automated you must start from scratch every week. But if it is automated, then it becomes passive and that means you can add to it every week.
So the one big answer that I can give you is look at the Internet. The Internet's very nature is that it is automated. It's like one big vending machine and all the user's do all the work themselves and serve themselves.
So here are 3 way's you can consider.
Ebay
You can look at purchasing thing's for under value and resell them for 10% percent more after all cost's. In this way you can progressively trade up and up from cars to land to houses to businesses.
Article's
Buy 300 word (NON PLR) articles for $5 and submit them to article directories on the Internet. Say 100 articles bring in $1000 of commission's that means your return is 100% So with your $100 you buy 20 article's which give you a return of $200, then you buy 40 more article's that give you $400 and so on.
(Note: They must be original articles written by writers that do not cut and paste...there are articles for sale in bundles that lots of people buy. These are completely useless)
Advertising
Advertise the products of a vendor you are an affiliate of. Google Adwords, MSN adcenter, and Yahoo advertising all provide a way to place a small ad in their search results.
So when someone searches for "blue widget" and you sell blue widget's you will be right there and get the referral commission.
If you spend $100 on advertising and get a return of 50% you can easily compound that money into $1.4 million dollars by adding to your advertising and finding more and more products to represent.
If you would like to discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you.
Click the link below to learn HOW you will begin compounding your capital towards your first Million Dollars. click here to learn about the EasyCorporateMoney.com program
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Value of You
From http://www.millionaireinside.com/
Have you ever paused to consider your value as a person?
Not your salary, your net worth or your assets, for those are all transitory. What are YOU worth?
You may think you are not worth much, that you don’t make a difference in the world, or that people would barely notice if you disappeared. However, such a belief is formed when you focus more on the value of your works, rather than the value of the worker (you!).
Of course, devoting your time and energy to meaningful pursuits is great, but it is more important to focus on who you are as you do them. From the most mundane task to the grandest endeavor, you infuse each one with a little piece of yourself.
If you are a small person, your impact on the world will be small. If you are a great person, your impact on the world will be great.
Becoming a “great” person does not mean you must perform miracles or save the world, but rather simply be yourself. Recognize and honor the parts of yourself that are unique.
Listen to your inner voice and connect with the part of you who knows how to best use the special gifts only you can share with the world. There is no mystery in the process unless you continue to turn away from your greatness.
If you are instead willing to embrace it, your heart center will open and you will be shown the way to your greatest joy.
When you open to your greatest joy, you cannot help but share it with others. It is infused in every word you speak, every embrace you give, every smile you share. It is infused in your creative works, your job duties, and your children.
It flows effortlessly from you and reaches out to touch everyone you encounter. Not only do you give them the gift of your divine essence during these exchanges, you show them how to recognize and share their own.
Your true value as a person lies not only in who you are, but who you might encourage others to become also.
Have you ever paused to consider your value as a person?
Not your salary, your net worth or your assets, for those are all transitory. What are YOU worth?
You may think you are not worth much, that you don’t make a difference in the world, or that people would barely notice if you disappeared. However, such a belief is formed when you focus more on the value of your works, rather than the value of the worker (you!).
Of course, devoting your time and energy to meaningful pursuits is great, but it is more important to focus on who you are as you do them. From the most mundane task to the grandest endeavor, you infuse each one with a little piece of yourself.
If you are a small person, your impact on the world will be small. If you are a great person, your impact on the world will be great.
Becoming a “great” person does not mean you must perform miracles or save the world, but rather simply be yourself. Recognize and honor the parts of yourself that are unique.
Listen to your inner voice and connect with the part of you who knows how to best use the special gifts only you can share with the world. There is no mystery in the process unless you continue to turn away from your greatness.
If you are instead willing to embrace it, your heart center will open and you will be shown the way to your greatest joy.
When you open to your greatest joy, you cannot help but share it with others. It is infused in every word you speak, every embrace you give, every smile you share. It is infused in your creative works, your job duties, and your children.
It flows effortlessly from you and reaches out to touch everyone you encounter. Not only do you give them the gift of your divine essence during these exchanges, you show them how to recognize and share their own.
Your true value as a person lies not only in who you are, but who you might encourage others to become also.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
The leaves are falling and the cocktails are pouring...
From www.ultimatebarchef.com
The Fall Cocktails...
Ultimate Bar Chef and Partida Tequila are bring you some of the best fall cocktail recipes available...from the classic Partida Margarita to the Two One Two!
Don't forget the Scotch or coffee drinks either! For more information, please check them out at www.ultimatebarchef.com for the perfect way to enjoy the month of November!
Our Ultimate Bar Chef of the Month, Willy Shine brings his incredible talents and unique style to the site...just what we all needed on a chilly fall evening...Willy and Tequila!
And we have some new pages and products! Please visit the site to see the Ambassador's Corner featuring Jacques Bezuidenhout and then see our newest product...Dirty Sue.
************************************************************************
HO! HO! HO! and a bottle of rum....
Can you believe that it is the holiday season already? Well, the elves at Ultimate Bar Chef are busy and they convinced Santa Bar Chef to come up with the Ultimate Bar Chef Top 10 Holiday list! And here it is:
Santa Bar Chef's Top 10 Holiday Gifts
TAG Accessory Set
Uber Tools (ProDesign) ProStirrer
The King Cocktail Culinary Calendar (by Jill DeGroff)
An Alembic Still
All that Glitters Gift Set (Oro Fino & Argento Fino)
The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff (see any major book store such as Barnes & Noble, Borders or Amazon.com)
Modern Mixology: Mixing the Classics DVD
Uber Tools (ProDesign) Bar Kit
A Christofle Cocktail Shaker
The BAR Course (yep, the daddy of all gifts)
Just click on any of the above listed items to be directed to the appropriate site to purchase them for your bar chef. Please give yourself enough time for shipping and such to make sure your presents will be on time for the big day!
Cheers from Santa Bar Chef!!!
************************************************************************
The Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure Competition
Ultimate Bar Chef along with Hendrick's Gin, PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur, and Easy Leaf Products were the proud sponsors of the first Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure Competition!
Our charity is Y-Me Breast Cancer Organization which helps with day to day life of breast cancer patients and their families. Please visit their website at www.y-me.org to see what amazing things they are doing.
We would like to invite all of you to help with this great cause - that includes individual donations and corporate sponsors. You can make a donation in someone's name, in your name or just because you want to help someone's everyday life a little bit easier.
We will be posting stories about some of the women in our lives that have been affected by this disease, and if you have a story, please let us know - we will do our best to add it to the page too!
We will also be adding a donations section to the page which will list all of our donations and have a total of monies received.
Let's all get together and help!
************************************************************************
Have you checked out our Ultimate Products?
Need the perfect bar tool? Naturally infused simple syrup? How about a little edible silver to make your cocktails stand out? Stop by our Ultimate Products page and start shopping!
Remember Holiday shipping dates!!!
(Order by December 20th and your will have your gift in time to make the holiday bright!
************************************************************************
For more information please contact:
Ultimate Bar Chef www.ultimatebarchef.com
ultimatebarchef@cox.net
Phone: 702.448.3727
Fax: 702.448.5527
The Fall Cocktails...
Ultimate Bar Chef and Partida Tequila are bring you some of the best fall cocktail recipes available...from the classic Partida Margarita to the Two One Two!
Don't forget the Scotch or coffee drinks either! For more information, please check them out at www.ultimatebarchef.com for the perfect way to enjoy the month of November!
Our Ultimate Bar Chef of the Month, Willy Shine brings his incredible talents and unique style to the site...just what we all needed on a chilly fall evening...Willy and Tequila!
And we have some new pages and products! Please visit the site to see the Ambassador's Corner featuring Jacques Bezuidenhout and then see our newest product...Dirty Sue.
************************************************************************
HO! HO! HO! and a bottle of rum....
Can you believe that it is the holiday season already? Well, the elves at Ultimate Bar Chef are busy and they convinced Santa Bar Chef to come up with the Ultimate Bar Chef Top 10 Holiday list! And here it is:
Santa Bar Chef's Top 10 Holiday Gifts
TAG Accessory Set
Uber Tools (ProDesign) ProStirrer
The King Cocktail Culinary Calendar (by Jill DeGroff)
An Alembic Still
All that Glitters Gift Set (Oro Fino & Argento Fino)
The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff (see any major book store such as Barnes & Noble, Borders or Amazon.com)
Modern Mixology: Mixing the Classics DVD
Uber Tools (ProDesign) Bar Kit
A Christofle Cocktail Shaker
The BAR Course (yep, the daddy of all gifts)
Just click on any of the above listed items to be directed to the appropriate site to purchase them for your bar chef. Please give yourself enough time for shipping and such to make sure your presents will be on time for the big day!
Cheers from Santa Bar Chef!!!
************************************************************************
The Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure Competition
Ultimate Bar Chef along with Hendrick's Gin, PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur, and Easy Leaf Products were the proud sponsors of the first Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure Competition!
Our charity is Y-Me Breast Cancer Organization which helps with day to day life of breast cancer patients and their families. Please visit their website at www.y-me.org to see what amazing things they are doing.
We would like to invite all of you to help with this great cause - that includes individual donations and corporate sponsors. You can make a donation in someone's name, in your name or just because you want to help someone's everyday life a little bit easier.
We will be posting stories about some of the women in our lives that have been affected by this disease, and if you have a story, please let us know - we will do our best to add it to the page too!
We will also be adding a donations section to the page which will list all of our donations and have a total of monies received.
Let's all get together and help!
************************************************************************
Have you checked out our Ultimate Products?
Need the perfect bar tool? Naturally infused simple syrup? How about a little edible silver to make your cocktails stand out? Stop by our Ultimate Products page and start shopping!
Remember Holiday shipping dates!!!
(Order by December 20th and your will have your gift in time to make the holiday bright!
************************************************************************
For more information please contact:
Ultimate Bar Chef www.ultimatebarchef.com
ultimatebarchef@cox.net
Phone: 702.448.3727
Fax: 702.448.5527
Thursday, November 15, 2007
The Saboteur Within
From LifeSkill Institute, Inc
Often, when you begin your journey on the path, there appears to be a negative part of you that works against the positive things you attempt to do. It is in disharmony with the positive part of you which pursues your goals, vision, and purpose.
This negative part of you functions as a saboteur in all your endeavors. The tools of this saboteur are distractions, discouragement, distrust, doubt, indecision, procrastination, apathy, arrogance, isolation, and low self-esteem.
This saboteur is neutralized by constantly focusing your attention, your actions, and your feelings, on your goals, vision, and purpose. To focus your attention, your actions, and your feelings, requires self-discipline or self-control.
Self-Discipline
To have self-control or self-discipline, means that you have taken possession of your mind in such strength or degree that your emotions, your instincts, and your body are under your control. Self-discipline is control from within.
Your self-discipline begins with your thoughts. If you cannot control your thoughts, you cannot control your actions or your emotions. When you have control over your thoughts, you can never be mastered by others.
You will always be able to take possession of whatever you are entitled to or deserve.
Anger
One of the main causes of loss of focus is the emotion of anger. When someone makes you angry, they have taken control of your mind. Being angry means somebody else is pulling your strings.
Do not give in to the feelings and thoughts of anger. Always be positive. It is difficult to be angry with a smile on your face. When people attempt to make you angry, smile, whistle, and say “ain't it great—fantastic.”
They may think you are a little strange, but they will carry their negativity elsewhere. To be in control, you must always be positive. Stay as far away from all negativity as possible over the next six months, and watch the change this brings about in your life.
Although you may not be able to control the acts of other people, you can control your own reactions to those acts. In fact, other people cannot take control of your life at all. You must give it to them.
If you do not give control of your mind to another person, letting them make you angry, they have no power over you.
“He is a fool who cannot be angry;
but he is a wise man who will not.”
—Old Proverb
True wisdom comes only through self-understanding based on self-discipline. When you have self-discipline, discipline from outside is unnecessary. You are then your own boss, the captain of your ship. Your own initiative causes you to get a job done or a task completed.
When you live without discipline,
You die without dignity.
Often, when you begin your journey on the path, there appears to be a negative part of you that works against the positive things you attempt to do. It is in disharmony with the positive part of you which pursues your goals, vision, and purpose.
This negative part of you functions as a saboteur in all your endeavors. The tools of this saboteur are distractions, discouragement, distrust, doubt, indecision, procrastination, apathy, arrogance, isolation, and low self-esteem.
This saboteur is neutralized by constantly focusing your attention, your actions, and your feelings, on your goals, vision, and purpose. To focus your attention, your actions, and your feelings, requires self-discipline or self-control.
Self-Discipline
To have self-control or self-discipline, means that you have taken possession of your mind in such strength or degree that your emotions, your instincts, and your body are under your control. Self-discipline is control from within.
Your self-discipline begins with your thoughts. If you cannot control your thoughts, you cannot control your actions or your emotions. When you have control over your thoughts, you can never be mastered by others.
You will always be able to take possession of whatever you are entitled to or deserve.
Anger
One of the main causes of loss of focus is the emotion of anger. When someone makes you angry, they have taken control of your mind. Being angry means somebody else is pulling your strings.
Do not give in to the feelings and thoughts of anger. Always be positive. It is difficult to be angry with a smile on your face. When people attempt to make you angry, smile, whistle, and say “ain't it great—fantastic.”
They may think you are a little strange, but they will carry their negativity elsewhere. To be in control, you must always be positive. Stay as far away from all negativity as possible over the next six months, and watch the change this brings about in your life.
Although you may not be able to control the acts of other people, you can control your own reactions to those acts. In fact, other people cannot take control of your life at all. You must give it to them.
If you do not give control of your mind to another person, letting them make you angry, they have no power over you.
“He is a fool who cannot be angry;
but he is a wise man who will not.”
—Old Proverb
True wisdom comes only through self-understanding based on self-discipline. When you have self-discipline, discipline from outside is unnecessary. You are then your own boss, the captain of your ship. Your own initiative causes you to get a job done or a task completed.
When you live without discipline,
You die without dignity.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Investing Money, Advice About Compounding Capital
By Martin Thomas
Investing money, can be a daunting process. The advice I give here about compounding should be taken in the right light. You know, I know, we all know that compounding makes wealth. Banks and institutional investments can bring a steady, safe and reliable return.
But 6% as nice and passive as it is won't make you wealthy if you are starting out with a few thousand dollars. Diversifying is the key. For example, say you had $5000 to start with.
The majority of it you would put into a safe, institutional investment and watch it grow over decades. You will be rich if you have all that time to wait, but it is a slow steady process, that takes 40 or 50 years to mature.
A part of the $5000, say $500 of it, you would invest in a little more higher risk but a little more lucrative return. If institutional investments offer a safe single digit compounder, this $500 you would place in something a little more lucrative.
With all investment, even the institutional money investments, there is risk that you will never see the money again. As small and remote as it is, I don't think anyone can deny, that a bank CAN collapse.
Or war break out or any number of things could happen over 4 or 5 decades that could wipe your fund clean. This is highly unlikely but it is true to say that even institutional investment vehicles have some small factor of risk.
Generally the higher the return the more risky it is. But there is risk and there is risk. Often the safest place for a high risk investment is in your own hands. Controlling the process, what ever it is you choose. every step of the way.
The problem with investment, is you lose control of your money. The best thing about investment is that it is passive and you lose control of your own money. So it is a double edged sword.
By diversifying and leaving a fraction of the capital you have allocated for high risk investment, you solve this problem. Finding passive returns is difficult. With just a few hundred dollars allocated for high risk high return style of investment, there is not a lot you can do.
However there are a few avenues, that are not 100% passive. You will be required to work your investments. But they do work well and the risks can be controlled down to the cent.
If you would like to discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you.
http://www.easycorporatemoney.com Click either link to learn HOW you will begin compounding your capital towards your first Million Dollars starting with just a few hundred. click here to learn about the EasyCorporateMoney.com program
Investing money, can be a daunting process. The advice I give here about compounding should be taken in the right light. You know, I know, we all know that compounding makes wealth. Banks and institutional investments can bring a steady, safe and reliable return.
But 6% as nice and passive as it is won't make you wealthy if you are starting out with a few thousand dollars. Diversifying is the key. For example, say you had $5000 to start with.
The majority of it you would put into a safe, institutional investment and watch it grow over decades. You will be rich if you have all that time to wait, but it is a slow steady process, that takes 40 or 50 years to mature.
A part of the $5000, say $500 of it, you would invest in a little more higher risk but a little more lucrative return. If institutional investments offer a safe single digit compounder, this $500 you would place in something a little more lucrative.
With all investment, even the institutional money investments, there is risk that you will never see the money again. As small and remote as it is, I don't think anyone can deny, that a bank CAN collapse.
Or war break out or any number of things could happen over 4 or 5 decades that could wipe your fund clean. This is highly unlikely but it is true to say that even institutional investment vehicles have some small factor of risk.
Generally the higher the return the more risky it is. But there is risk and there is risk. Often the safest place for a high risk investment is in your own hands. Controlling the process, what ever it is you choose. every step of the way.
The problem with investment, is you lose control of your money. The best thing about investment is that it is passive and you lose control of your own money. So it is a double edged sword.
By diversifying and leaving a fraction of the capital you have allocated for high risk investment, you solve this problem. Finding passive returns is difficult. With just a few hundred dollars allocated for high risk high return style of investment, there is not a lot you can do.
However there are a few avenues, that are not 100% passive. You will be required to work your investments. But they do work well and the risks can be controlled down to the cent.
If you would like to discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you.
http://www.easycorporatemoney.com Click either link to learn HOW you will begin compounding your capital towards your first Million Dollars starting with just a few hundred. click here to learn about the EasyCorporateMoney.com program
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The Value of You
From http://www.millionaireinside.com/
Have you ever paused to consider your value as a person?
Not your salary, your net worth or your assets, for those are all transitory. What are YOU worth?
You may think you are not worth much, that you don’t make a difference in the world, or that people would barely notice if you disappeared. However, such a belief is formed when you focus more on the value of your works, rather than the value of the worker (you!).
Of course, devoting your time and energy to meaningful pursuits is great, but it is more important to focus on who you are as you do them. From the most mundane task to the grandest endeavor, you infuse each one with a little piece of yourself.
If you are a small person, your impact on the world will be small. If you are a great person, your impact on the world will be great.
Becoming a “great” person does not mean you must perform miracles or save the world, but rather simply be yourself. Recognize and honor the parts of yourself that are unique.
Listen to your inner voice and connect with the part of you who knows how to best use the special gifts only you can share with the world. There is no mystery in the process unless you continue to turn away from your greatness.
If you are instead willing to embrace it, your heart center will open and you will be shown the way to your greatest joy. When you open to your greatest joy, you cannot help but share it with others.
It is infused in every word you speak, every embrace you give, every smile you share. It is infused in your creative works, your job duties, and your children. It flows effortlessly from you and reaches out to touch everyone you encounter.
Not only do you give them the gift of your divine essence during these exchanges, you show them how to recognize and share their own.
Your true value as a person lies not only in who you are, but who you might encourage others to become also.
Have you ever paused to consider your value as a person?
Not your salary, your net worth or your assets, for those are all transitory. What are YOU worth?
You may think you are not worth much, that you don’t make a difference in the world, or that people would barely notice if you disappeared. However, such a belief is formed when you focus more on the value of your works, rather than the value of the worker (you!).
Of course, devoting your time and energy to meaningful pursuits is great, but it is more important to focus on who you are as you do them. From the most mundane task to the grandest endeavor, you infuse each one with a little piece of yourself.
If you are a small person, your impact on the world will be small. If you are a great person, your impact on the world will be great.
Becoming a “great” person does not mean you must perform miracles or save the world, but rather simply be yourself. Recognize and honor the parts of yourself that are unique.
Listen to your inner voice and connect with the part of you who knows how to best use the special gifts only you can share with the world. There is no mystery in the process unless you continue to turn away from your greatness.
If you are instead willing to embrace it, your heart center will open and you will be shown the way to your greatest joy. When you open to your greatest joy, you cannot help but share it with others.
It is infused in every word you speak, every embrace you give, every smile you share. It is infused in your creative works, your job duties, and your children. It flows effortlessly from you and reaches out to touch everyone you encounter.
Not only do you give them the gift of your divine essence during these exchanges, you show them how to recognize and share their own.
Your true value as a person lies not only in who you are, but who you might encourage others to become also.
Friday, November 09, 2007
The classic sidecar cocktail recipe is updated
By Gary Regan
The Professor, our cocktailian bartender, is still missing in action. He was in Peru when he last contacted the bar, but that was months ago, and nobody has heard from him since.
The Boss is as frustrated as all heck, and he has just about given up hope of his bartender ever returning, so he hired Eric, a Frenchman who is looking into moving to San Francisco, to help out for a while.
"Hi there. Sam's the name. I don't recall seeing your face back there before. You new here?" asks the tall, willowy blond woman who just took a stool at the bar.
"Yes, ma name ees Eric. Zees ees ma first day 'ere. And 'ow are you today, Sam?"
"I'm good, Eric. Nice to meet you. Could you fix me a sidecar, perhaps? That's a French drink, right?"
"Mais oui, Sam. We theenk it was born in Paree in the early 1900s. A beautiful cocktail, the sidecar."
There's no clear-cut evidence surrounding the birth of the sidecar, but this very simple cocktail, made with Cognac, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice, did start to appear in cocktail books in the early 20th century, and all tales about its creation do point toward Paris.
Eric isn't preparing a traditional sidecar for Sam, though. Unbeknownst to her, he's making a Tuscan sidecar, created by Jon Connors, the head bartender at Country restaurant in New York.
Instead of using Cointreau, an orange-flavored liqueur, Jon calls for Faretti Biscotti Famosi, a new liqueur from Italy that does a great job of capturing the flavors of biscotti and offers nutty notes with hints of fennel, caramel, lemon zest and oranges.
With a nod to the traditional sidecar, Connors adds a little of the orange flavor that Cointreau usually brings to the drink by muddling a slice of orange with some orange bitters in the mixing glass before adding the rest of the ingredients.
The resultant drink is simply heavenly. As Sam sips her Tuscan sidecar and chats with Eric, the Boss walks into the bar and watches his new bartender from a distance before disappearing into his basement office.
The intercom sounds and Eric walks down the bar to pick up the phone.
"Eric. That woman at the bar. You know her?" the Boss asks.
"I just met her, Boss. She ees very nice young woman, no?"
"What's her name, Eric? I can't remember her name."
"Aah, I see, 'er name ees Sam, Boss. You know her well?"
The Boss doesn't reply. He just hangs up the phone, and Eric walks back up the bar to chat with his new friend.
"Let me guess, Eric. That was the Boss on the intercom, and he wanted to know my name, right?"
"And 'ow could you possibly know that, Sam?" asks Eric.
"I've known the guy for seven years, Eric. Dated him on and off. He's actually OK once he's outside of this place. Not once in the past seven years, though, has he remembered my name. Some sort of block going on, I guess."
"Pam! How are you? Long time no see," the Boss gushes as he approaches the bar. Sam looks at Eric and raises her eyebrows. Eric just grins. This is going to be an interesting job.
Tuscan Sidecar
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Jon Connors, head bartender at Country restaurant, New York.
2 dashes orange bitters
1 orange slice
2 ounces V.S. Cognac
1 ounce Faretti Biscotti Famosi liqueur
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
-- Sugar, to rim glass
-- Orange twist, for garnish
Instructions: Put the orange bitters and the orange slice into an empty mixing glass and grind them with a wooden muddler until all the juices have been extracted from the orange.
Add ice and the remaining ingredients, shake for approximately 15 seconds, and strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass and add the garnish.
Gary Regan is the author of "The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft" and other books. E-mail him at wine@sfchronicle.com.
The Professor, our cocktailian bartender, is still missing in action. He was in Peru when he last contacted the bar, but that was months ago, and nobody has heard from him since.
The Boss is as frustrated as all heck, and he has just about given up hope of his bartender ever returning, so he hired Eric, a Frenchman who is looking into moving to San Francisco, to help out for a while.
"Hi there. Sam's the name. I don't recall seeing your face back there before. You new here?" asks the tall, willowy blond woman who just took a stool at the bar.
"Yes, ma name ees Eric. Zees ees ma first day 'ere. And 'ow are you today, Sam?"
"I'm good, Eric. Nice to meet you. Could you fix me a sidecar, perhaps? That's a French drink, right?"
"Mais oui, Sam. We theenk it was born in Paree in the early 1900s. A beautiful cocktail, the sidecar."
There's no clear-cut evidence surrounding the birth of the sidecar, but this very simple cocktail, made with Cognac, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice, did start to appear in cocktail books in the early 20th century, and all tales about its creation do point toward Paris.
Eric isn't preparing a traditional sidecar for Sam, though. Unbeknownst to her, he's making a Tuscan sidecar, created by Jon Connors, the head bartender at Country restaurant in New York.
Instead of using Cointreau, an orange-flavored liqueur, Jon calls for Faretti Biscotti Famosi, a new liqueur from Italy that does a great job of capturing the flavors of biscotti and offers nutty notes with hints of fennel, caramel, lemon zest and oranges.
With a nod to the traditional sidecar, Connors adds a little of the orange flavor that Cointreau usually brings to the drink by muddling a slice of orange with some orange bitters in the mixing glass before adding the rest of the ingredients.
The resultant drink is simply heavenly. As Sam sips her Tuscan sidecar and chats with Eric, the Boss walks into the bar and watches his new bartender from a distance before disappearing into his basement office.
The intercom sounds and Eric walks down the bar to pick up the phone.
"Eric. That woman at the bar. You know her?" the Boss asks.
"I just met her, Boss. She ees very nice young woman, no?"
"What's her name, Eric? I can't remember her name."
"Aah, I see, 'er name ees Sam, Boss. You know her well?"
The Boss doesn't reply. He just hangs up the phone, and Eric walks back up the bar to chat with his new friend.
"Let me guess, Eric. That was the Boss on the intercom, and he wanted to know my name, right?"
"And 'ow could you possibly know that, Sam?" asks Eric.
"I've known the guy for seven years, Eric. Dated him on and off. He's actually OK once he's outside of this place. Not once in the past seven years, though, has he remembered my name. Some sort of block going on, I guess."
"Pam! How are you? Long time no see," the Boss gushes as he approaches the bar. Sam looks at Eric and raises her eyebrows. Eric just grins. This is going to be an interesting job.
Tuscan Sidecar
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Jon Connors, head bartender at Country restaurant, New York.
2 dashes orange bitters
1 orange slice
2 ounces V.S. Cognac
1 ounce Faretti Biscotti Famosi liqueur
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
-- Sugar, to rim glass
-- Orange twist, for garnish
Instructions: Put the orange bitters and the orange slice into an empty mixing glass and grind them with a wooden muddler until all the juices have been extracted from the orange.
Add ice and the remaining ingredients, shake for approximately 15 seconds, and strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass and add the garnish.
Gary Regan is the author of "The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft" and other books. E-mail him at wine@sfchronicle.com.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
How To Overcome Lack of Focus
From LifeSkill Institute, Inc
1. Realize that you can only focus on one thing at a time.
Focus is like a laser beam, rather than a light bulb. It cuts through the darkness and illuminates one thought, emotion, activity, or thing at a time.
2. Be in good health, physically fit, and full of energy.
Health challenges can demand your immediate, consistent, and continuous attention. When you are not physically fit and full of energy, the lack of stamina and feelings of tiredness will consume your mind. Your primary thoughts will be focused on resting and sleeping.
“He who has health, has hope;
and he who has hope, has everything.”
—Arabian Proverb
3. Have clearly defined goals which complement your vision and life purpose.
Without clearly defined goals there is no direction or thought on which to focus your attention. There are no flowers to plant in the garden that is your life; and thus, weeds—uncontrolled emotions and instincts—will grow.
4. Have faith in yourself and your abilities.
Faith gives power to focus. When you focus on ideas and thoughts, they become the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Conceive (Focus) + Believe (Faith) =
Achieve (Results)
5. Realize that all distractions are equal, and equally counterproductive.
Keep your eye on the prize—your goals, vision, and purpose. Anything, any thought, any person, and any emotion that is not supportive of and congruent with your goals, vision, and purpose is a distraction
6. Control your body, instincts, and emotions.
Your instincts and emotions are forces driven by your lower, animal nature. You must take possession of your mind in such strength or degree that your emotions, your instincts and your body are under your control.
1. Realize that you can only focus on one thing at a time.
Focus is like a laser beam, rather than a light bulb. It cuts through the darkness and illuminates one thought, emotion, activity, or thing at a time.
2. Be in good health, physically fit, and full of energy.
Health challenges can demand your immediate, consistent, and continuous attention. When you are not physically fit and full of energy, the lack of stamina and feelings of tiredness will consume your mind. Your primary thoughts will be focused on resting and sleeping.
“He who has health, has hope;
and he who has hope, has everything.”
—Arabian Proverb
3. Have clearly defined goals which complement your vision and life purpose.
Without clearly defined goals there is no direction or thought on which to focus your attention. There are no flowers to plant in the garden that is your life; and thus, weeds—uncontrolled emotions and instincts—will grow.
4. Have faith in yourself and your abilities.
Faith gives power to focus. When you focus on ideas and thoughts, they become the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Conceive (Focus) + Believe (Faith) =
Achieve (Results)
5. Realize that all distractions are equal, and equally counterproductive.
Keep your eye on the prize—your goals, vision, and purpose. Anything, any thought, any person, and any emotion that is not supportive of and congruent with your goals, vision, and purpose is a distraction
6. Control your body, instincts, and emotions.
Your instincts and emotions are forces driven by your lower, animal nature. You must take possession of your mind in such strength or degree that your emotions, your instincts and your body are under your control.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Visualize Your Success
From http://www.millionaireinside.com/
Each and every one of us has a goal, whether we are looking for a salary increase or want to retire at fifty. To have a goal is not enough, the goal is simply the end result.
To truly succeed we must establish a deep desire to achieve our goal, this will keep us motivated.
The easiest way to stay motivated is to visualize. There is a huge difference between “I wish” and “I will.” Daydreaming about success is likely to be counterproductive.
To ensure success, even when faced with a difficult task we need to remain focused and motivated.
Consider the following statements:
“It would be nice to retire at 50″
“I am going to retire at 50″
Of course it would be nice to retire at 50, even better to retire younger. A casual comment like the first example is hardly going to keep anybody motivated.
The first comment is likely to be uttered by a daydreamer, somebody who has already admitted defeat and assumes they would not be able to retire at 50. Those who would use the second phrase are also more likely to succeed.
When we talk about visualizing our goals we are not referring to daydreaming. Those who visualize actually SEE, HEAR, SMELL, TASTE and FEEL the benefits of their achievements before they happen.
When you visualize the benefits of achieving your goal, you will increase your chances of success. After all, you do want to achieve your goal don’t you?
Many of us feel that we are far too busy to take any time out of our schedule to invest in ourselves. Here is a simple daily task which will help you stay motivated:
You will only need a pen and a piece of paper for this exercise. Find a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be disturbed and relax. Allow yourself to enjoy the moment.
Once you feel relaxed, allow your mind to drift, think about a specific goal, something you have always longed for.
Imagine now that you achieved your goal TODAY, visualize the benefits which your achievement now brings you and how you feel for achieving it.
If you totally immerse yourself in your achievement you will probably feel a surge of energy, think of this as motivation.
With these thoughts fresh in your mind, write down everything you felt. The feelings and emotions which achieving your goal brought you, the sights, sounds, smells and tastes.
DO NOT THINK, ACT… write EVERYTHING you feel, visualize your feelings flowing out of your pen onto the paper.
For example:
“I feel amazing, so full of energy and life. I have so much time to spend with my family now I have retired. I no longer feel trapped in my job. I can go where I want, when I want and answer to nobody but myself.
Today is a great day and tomorrow will be even better. Family life is so much better now that I have more time, I love spending time with my children and they love spending time with me.”
The results will surprise you, this simple task works.
The key to success with this task is practice, you can use it to motivate yourself even when performing the most mundane duties. Let’s say you have been putting off the cleaning.
By visualizing the benefits of a cleaner house, you are more likely to be motivated to do it rather than focusing on the task at hand. When you approach all your goals this way, you answer the most motivating question in the world…
“What’s in it for me?”
Each and every one of us has a goal, whether we are looking for a salary increase or want to retire at fifty. To have a goal is not enough, the goal is simply the end result.
To truly succeed we must establish a deep desire to achieve our goal, this will keep us motivated.
The easiest way to stay motivated is to visualize. There is a huge difference between “I wish” and “I will.” Daydreaming about success is likely to be counterproductive.
To ensure success, even when faced with a difficult task we need to remain focused and motivated.
Consider the following statements:
“It would be nice to retire at 50″
“I am going to retire at 50″
Of course it would be nice to retire at 50, even better to retire younger. A casual comment like the first example is hardly going to keep anybody motivated.
The first comment is likely to be uttered by a daydreamer, somebody who has already admitted defeat and assumes they would not be able to retire at 50. Those who would use the second phrase are also more likely to succeed.
When we talk about visualizing our goals we are not referring to daydreaming. Those who visualize actually SEE, HEAR, SMELL, TASTE and FEEL the benefits of their achievements before they happen.
When you visualize the benefits of achieving your goal, you will increase your chances of success. After all, you do want to achieve your goal don’t you?
Many of us feel that we are far too busy to take any time out of our schedule to invest in ourselves. Here is a simple daily task which will help you stay motivated:
You will only need a pen and a piece of paper for this exercise. Find a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be disturbed and relax. Allow yourself to enjoy the moment.
Once you feel relaxed, allow your mind to drift, think about a specific goal, something you have always longed for.
Imagine now that you achieved your goal TODAY, visualize the benefits which your achievement now brings you and how you feel for achieving it.
If you totally immerse yourself in your achievement you will probably feel a surge of energy, think of this as motivation.
With these thoughts fresh in your mind, write down everything you felt. The feelings and emotions which achieving your goal brought you, the sights, sounds, smells and tastes.
DO NOT THINK, ACT… write EVERYTHING you feel, visualize your feelings flowing out of your pen onto the paper.
For example:
“I feel amazing, so full of energy and life. I have so much time to spend with my family now I have retired. I no longer feel trapped in my job. I can go where I want, when I want and answer to nobody but myself.
Today is a great day and tomorrow will be even better. Family life is so much better now that I have more time, I love spending time with my children and they love spending time with me.”
The results will surprise you, this simple task works.
The key to success with this task is practice, you can use it to motivate yourself even when performing the most mundane duties. Let’s say you have been putting off the cleaning.
By visualizing the benefits of a cleaner house, you are more likely to be motivated to do it rather than focusing on the task at hand. When you approach all your goals this way, you answer the most motivating question in the world…
“What’s in it for me?”
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Cocktails, amici?
By Regina Schrambling
Turin, Italy -- Order a glass of wine in Italy and you never drink alone. A little something to eat always turns up on the bar or cafe table.
In the past, what the waiter brought was usually bizarrely un-Italian, whether potato chips or peanuts, but on this trip it bordered on a smorgasbord.
From the first bar on, every drink was accompanied by a heaping plate of savory sensations: puff pastries filled with pesto or sausage; focaccia laced with olives or anchovies; grissini wrapped in prosciutto or soppressata; crisp squares of risotto with sage or frittata with peppers; olives and chunks of cheese and slices of salami.
Always, the only charge was for the wine.
Italians call the concept aperitivo, which is simply translated as "aperitif." But these days it is much more than a drink, almost like tapas.
As a euro-generation resident of Turin said, a word that used to mean "let's go have a drink before dinner, to perk up our appetites" now means "let's go drink and eat and maybe skip dinner altogether.
"Sociologists can debate whether the new expanded aperitivo is good or bad in a country where meals have always started with antipasto and ended five courses later, and whether it is an outgrowth of more work and less money (not to mention marriage) among the young.
All I know is that every encounter made me rethink what to serve before dinner, or even instead of dinner, back home. My friend Diego Orlando, a photographer who lives east of here in Veneto, put it best: "With aperitivo, every region, house, bar, town, year has something to serve you.
Could be salami, could be cheese, could be something more complicated, but the idea is, 'You're drinking with me, I'll find something in my house to eat, but I don't know what I have, we'll see.' So everything easy to eat is used to serve with wine before lunch or dinner.
"Easy to eat also means easy to fix. With the right food on hand -- salami, cheese, olives, bread -- aperitivo is just a slice away.My new inspirations came constantly.
At a cafe on a piazza in Asti, a town about an hour southeast of Turin, a single glass of wine arrived with four tiny panini, each filled with a different cured meat (prosciutto, two different salami, sausage), the little pile crowned with a slice of hard-cooked egg drizzled with olive oil and dusted with oregano.
On another rainy night, two glasses of wine at a coffee bar and pasticceria here were served with six tramezzini -- triangular mini-sandwiches on white bread with red caviar, prosciutto, egg and more -- and a second plate of tiny puff pastry savories with anchovies and pesto.
And on our last night we decided we didn't need dinner after sharing what a wine bar called Rosso Rubino Enoteca served with our two glasses: a small plate piled high with meat wrapped around grissini, different olives, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salami and little squares of frittata.
Always, the food was meant to absorb alcohol, very delicately. Most of it is straight out of the Italian larder: cured meats, cheeses, olives, breadsticks. But just as often it is whipped up in the kitchen, with savory tidbits such as leftover risotto fried into crisp squares or roasted peppers stuffed with tuna mousse.
Occasionally aperitivo resembles a good old-fashioned American happy hour with unlimited buffet, which opens up more main-course possibilities.
At Free Volo, a sidewalk cafe here, we heaped plates with bocconcini, prosciutto, salami, olives, grissini, even pasta salad with tomatoes and basil (yes, in Italy, and no, no more exciting than it ever is).
Beyond memories, what I took away from aperitivo was new inspiration for hors d'oeuvres. It had never occurred to me to serve tonnato sauce, the creamy tuna-anchovy-caper spread traditionally spooned over poached veal, with drinks.
But after watching so many young Italians scoop it up on grissini and spread it onto bread, I think it will be a staple in my wine go-with file.
Similarly, I had never thought of deep-frying an olive, but after encountering one stuffed with meat in a crunchy breading, I came home with a new reason to improve on perfection.
Instead of braised pork and veal enriched with prosciutto, this version just uses soppressata minced with Fontina. And I had never thought of turning risotto into cocktail food, but it makes sense considering the real thing is always so much better fried up the next day.
(Somehow, making it just to turn it into something else guarantees you will produce the best risotto you ever attempted.) The little crispy squares go well with any wine or with other drinks.
I also associate puff pastry more with France and normally avoid it at all costs, having been humiliated by it in restaurant school.
But it seemed to be as essential as salumi in Italy and, luckily, is now available from good commercial producers in this country and absurdly easy to use for aperitivo. You can fold it over anything savory: pesto, anchoiade, plain anchovies, tomatoes, roasted mushrooms.
Then there is the grissini factor. These anorectic breadsticks are known as the pride of Turin, but they are heavily exported and work even better as a vehicle for aperitivo snacks than they do as an alternative to bread.
Bars in Italy wrap prosciutto or soppressata around them, or just set them out with cheese to munch on. And cheese may be the most surprising, and satisfying, solid food for aperitivo. Traditionally eaten at the end of a meal, it almost works better with alcohol before dinner.
A tangy Fontina or pungent Parmigiano-Reggiano or especially a salty-wet mozzarella is the best appetite stimulant with wine for a cocktail hour that extends so far into dinner it can supplant it. Americans, of course, have thought this for years.
Related Stories
Recipe: Crostini tonnato (tuna crostini)
-
Recipe: Sage risotto bites
-
Recipe: Hazelnut pesto puffs
-
Recipe: Stuffed fried olives
-
Just a slice away
Turin, Italy -- Order a glass of wine in Italy and you never drink alone. A little something to eat always turns up on the bar or cafe table.
In the past, what the waiter brought was usually bizarrely un-Italian, whether potato chips or peanuts, but on this trip it bordered on a smorgasbord.
From the first bar on, every drink was accompanied by a heaping plate of savory sensations: puff pastries filled with pesto or sausage; focaccia laced with olives or anchovies; grissini wrapped in prosciutto or soppressata; crisp squares of risotto with sage or frittata with peppers; olives and chunks of cheese and slices of salami.
Always, the only charge was for the wine.
Italians call the concept aperitivo, which is simply translated as "aperitif." But these days it is much more than a drink, almost like tapas.
As a euro-generation resident of Turin said, a word that used to mean "let's go have a drink before dinner, to perk up our appetites" now means "let's go drink and eat and maybe skip dinner altogether.
"Sociologists can debate whether the new expanded aperitivo is good or bad in a country where meals have always started with antipasto and ended five courses later, and whether it is an outgrowth of more work and less money (not to mention marriage) among the young.
All I know is that every encounter made me rethink what to serve before dinner, or even instead of dinner, back home. My friend Diego Orlando, a photographer who lives east of here in Veneto, put it best: "With aperitivo, every region, house, bar, town, year has something to serve you.
Could be salami, could be cheese, could be something more complicated, but the idea is, 'You're drinking with me, I'll find something in my house to eat, but I don't know what I have, we'll see.' So everything easy to eat is used to serve with wine before lunch or dinner.
"Easy to eat also means easy to fix. With the right food on hand -- salami, cheese, olives, bread -- aperitivo is just a slice away.My new inspirations came constantly.
At a cafe on a piazza in Asti, a town about an hour southeast of Turin, a single glass of wine arrived with four tiny panini, each filled with a different cured meat (prosciutto, two different salami, sausage), the little pile crowned with a slice of hard-cooked egg drizzled with olive oil and dusted with oregano.
On another rainy night, two glasses of wine at a coffee bar and pasticceria here were served with six tramezzini -- triangular mini-sandwiches on white bread with red caviar, prosciutto, egg and more -- and a second plate of tiny puff pastry savories with anchovies and pesto.
And on our last night we decided we didn't need dinner after sharing what a wine bar called Rosso Rubino Enoteca served with our two glasses: a small plate piled high with meat wrapped around grissini, different olives, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salami and little squares of frittata.
Always, the food was meant to absorb alcohol, very delicately. Most of it is straight out of the Italian larder: cured meats, cheeses, olives, breadsticks. But just as often it is whipped up in the kitchen, with savory tidbits such as leftover risotto fried into crisp squares or roasted peppers stuffed with tuna mousse.
Occasionally aperitivo resembles a good old-fashioned American happy hour with unlimited buffet, which opens up more main-course possibilities.
At Free Volo, a sidewalk cafe here, we heaped plates with bocconcini, prosciutto, salami, olives, grissini, even pasta salad with tomatoes and basil (yes, in Italy, and no, no more exciting than it ever is).
Beyond memories, what I took away from aperitivo was new inspiration for hors d'oeuvres. It had never occurred to me to serve tonnato sauce, the creamy tuna-anchovy-caper spread traditionally spooned over poached veal, with drinks.
But after watching so many young Italians scoop it up on grissini and spread it onto bread, I think it will be a staple in my wine go-with file.
Similarly, I had never thought of deep-frying an olive, but after encountering one stuffed with meat in a crunchy breading, I came home with a new reason to improve on perfection.
Instead of braised pork and veal enriched with prosciutto, this version just uses soppressata minced with Fontina. And I had never thought of turning risotto into cocktail food, but it makes sense considering the real thing is always so much better fried up the next day.
(Somehow, making it just to turn it into something else guarantees you will produce the best risotto you ever attempted.) The little crispy squares go well with any wine or with other drinks.
I also associate puff pastry more with France and normally avoid it at all costs, having been humiliated by it in restaurant school.
But it seemed to be as essential as salumi in Italy and, luckily, is now available from good commercial producers in this country and absurdly easy to use for aperitivo. You can fold it over anything savory: pesto, anchoiade, plain anchovies, tomatoes, roasted mushrooms.
Then there is the grissini factor. These anorectic breadsticks are known as the pride of Turin, but they are heavily exported and work even better as a vehicle for aperitivo snacks than they do as an alternative to bread.
Bars in Italy wrap prosciutto or soppressata around them, or just set them out with cheese to munch on. And cheese may be the most surprising, and satisfying, solid food for aperitivo. Traditionally eaten at the end of a meal, it almost works better with alcohol before dinner.
A tangy Fontina or pungent Parmigiano-Reggiano or especially a salty-wet mozzarella is the best appetite stimulant with wine for a cocktail hour that extends so far into dinner it can supplant it. Americans, of course, have thought this for years.
Related Stories
Recipe: Crostini tonnato (tuna crostini)
-
Recipe: Sage risotto bites
-
Recipe: Hazelnut pesto puffs
-
Recipe: Stuffed fried olives
-
Just a slice away
Friday, November 02, 2007
What a Weak Dollar Means for U.S. Shoppers
By Kelli B. Grant
WEDNESDAY'S RATE CUT from the Fed has economists expecting that the already-weak dollar will fall even further.
That's after the greenback hit a new record low against the euro early Wednesday, breaking the record it set Monday following announcements of a plunge in consumer confidence — i.e., a measurement of Americans' optimism about the economy, based on surveys.
What does that mean for your wallet? Simply put, the weaker the dollar, the more you pay for imported goods such as that favorite bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild from France or that Mercedes-Benz S-Class from Germany.
"Currency fluctuations immediately affect prices," says Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist for The Bank of New York Mellon. But that change is more on manufacturers' bottom line than price tags, he says.
Just how much, and how quickly prices fluctuate depends on several market factors. Where the goods come from will have a significant impact. You can expect to see more of a price hike on products from Canada, Australia and Europe than those from Asia.
That's because many Asian currencies — including the Chinese yuan and the Hong Kong dollar — are pegged at or near the U.S. dollar, meaning the values of these currencies tend to move in tandem.
Market competition plays a role, too. Based on sale projections from the National Retail Federation, retailers are facing their worst holiday season in five years.
Yet most of them would rather keep prices low and take on any extra cost themselves than risk losing customers at the cash register.
"[There will be] none of these across-the-board price increases," says Milton Pedraza, president of Luxury Institute LLC, a market research firm.
"It's going to be very surgical, with most increases coming after the new year."
If there's good news, it's that the dollar's recent decline represents a relatively small slide in a six-year plunge, which has seen its value decline by about 30% against the Fed's trade-weighted index of major world currencies.
"The dollar has been weakening against the major currencies for several years, so the bulk of price changes have already taken place," says Tony Gao, assistant professor of marketing at Northeastern University. "The question is really how much further."
Big-ticket items such as cars, jewelry and wine are traditionally hit hard when the dollar weakens. Here's what to expect:
Jewelry
The double whammy of a weak dollar and high consumer demand world-wide has sent prices for raw jewelry materials — most notably diamonds and gold — skyrocketing. The issue with gold is twofold.
Typically, when the dollar is beaten down, investors flock to gold as a safe-haven investment. That's definitely been the case in recent weeks. (Gold hit a 28-year high Wednesday as the dollar flirted with record lows.)
On top of that, gold is priced in U.S. dollars, which means foreign buyers can buy it at a discount to U.S. consumers as the dollar continues to fall, which drives up demand and therefore prices.
And while some jewelers set prices by what they paid at the time they bought these precious metals and gems, others continuously jack up prices to reflect the going rate.
That makes it crucial for consumers to comparison shop, warns Renée Newman, author of "The Jewelry Handbook." "It's no longer a given that a more expensive piece is better," she says.
You'll need to research — and then compare — those factors that affect a piece's quality and desirability. An independent appraisal couldn't hurt either if you're eyeing a particularly expensive piece.
(For tips to help you separate the real sparklers, click here and here.) Look for the biggest increases in machine-made jewelry. "There, you're paying mostly for the metal and gems," she says.
"If it's a custom-made, one-of-a-kind piece, you're probably paying more for the craftsmanship." There are a few bargains to be had at the jewelry counter.
Because diamond prices are directly pegged to the U.S. dollar, prices of average-quality stones should be heading lower, says Martin Rapaport, founder of the Rapaport Diamond Report.
"I don't think the weaker dollar has come in time to reduce holiday prices at Wal-Mart," he jokes, "but you should certainly go out and look now." That's not the case for high-end stones, however.
If you're looking for an engagement ring or other jewelry focusing on one or two flawless stones, expect to pay a premium.
Wine
Go ahead. Raise your wine glass in celebration. Because the holiday season is when the bulk of wine is purchased, it's unlikely that you'll see price changes on any but the most expensive and desirable bottles, says Natalie MacLean, editor of Nat Decants, a wine education site.
"With higher demand, ignoring the increase would be a clever marketing strategy," she says. Just don't expect bargains on everything.
With prices on U.S. wines already dropping abroad, it's unlikely you'll see many holiday-related price cuts at home.
(Champagne is always a particularly good deal this time of year. For tips on getting the most value on a bottle, click here.) More substantial changes will show up next fall, when the wines crafted this year are released on the market.
But it's tough to anticipate how much of the change would be a result of the declining dollar as opposed to, say, a particular vintner or region producing a very good year, says MacLean. "The vintage factor is always a large part of the price," she notes.
Cars
If you're looking to buy a car in the next year, you're more or less in luck. Auto prices aren't expected to ratchet up much more than the traditional 1% to 2% between model years.
Heated competition among auto makers makes currency fluctuations less relevant — European manufacturers need to offset price increases to keep U.S. consumers interested in buying their cars over Detroit's, says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley Blue Book.
It doesn't hurt that brand rivalries span continents. Germany's BMW needs to keep prices paced with Japan's Lexus, despite the latter country's more stable relationship to the U.S. dollar.
If there are any increases due to the weak dollar, you can expect them to kick in slowly over the course of the next year as manufacturers replace diminished imported stock with newly built, higher-cost cars.
Aiding the snail's pace are the foreign auto makers' North American plants, whose products are considered domestic goods.
(More than half of U.S. Volkswagen models, for example, are built at its Puebla, Mexico, plant, while BMW recently announced plans to increase production at its Spartanburg, S.C., location.)
Looking at the whole picture, next year might actually make for a better year to buy an import, says Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com. As the U.S. dollar has declined, European auto makers have offered bigger rebates.
"If you look at the prices, they're not going up," he says. "But the incentive spending is going up dramatically." In 2003, an auto maker could offer $2,000 cash back at a cost of €2,040 to its bottom line.
Today, spending that same sum enables them to offer more than $2,900 in rebates to U.S. customers.
WEDNESDAY'S RATE CUT from the Fed has economists expecting that the already-weak dollar will fall even further.
That's after the greenback hit a new record low against the euro early Wednesday, breaking the record it set Monday following announcements of a plunge in consumer confidence — i.e., a measurement of Americans' optimism about the economy, based on surveys.
What does that mean for your wallet? Simply put, the weaker the dollar, the more you pay for imported goods such as that favorite bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild from France or that Mercedes-Benz S-Class from Germany.
"Currency fluctuations immediately affect prices," says Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist for The Bank of New York Mellon. But that change is more on manufacturers' bottom line than price tags, he says.
Just how much, and how quickly prices fluctuate depends on several market factors. Where the goods come from will have a significant impact. You can expect to see more of a price hike on products from Canada, Australia and Europe than those from Asia.
That's because many Asian currencies — including the Chinese yuan and the Hong Kong dollar — are pegged at or near the U.S. dollar, meaning the values of these currencies tend to move in tandem.
Market competition plays a role, too. Based on sale projections from the National Retail Federation, retailers are facing their worst holiday season in five years.
Yet most of them would rather keep prices low and take on any extra cost themselves than risk losing customers at the cash register.
"[There will be] none of these across-the-board price increases," says Milton Pedraza, president of Luxury Institute LLC, a market research firm.
"It's going to be very surgical, with most increases coming after the new year."
If there's good news, it's that the dollar's recent decline represents a relatively small slide in a six-year plunge, which has seen its value decline by about 30% against the Fed's trade-weighted index of major world currencies.
"The dollar has been weakening against the major currencies for several years, so the bulk of price changes have already taken place," says Tony Gao, assistant professor of marketing at Northeastern University. "The question is really how much further."
Big-ticket items such as cars, jewelry and wine are traditionally hit hard when the dollar weakens. Here's what to expect:
Jewelry
The double whammy of a weak dollar and high consumer demand world-wide has sent prices for raw jewelry materials — most notably diamonds and gold — skyrocketing. The issue with gold is twofold.
Typically, when the dollar is beaten down, investors flock to gold as a safe-haven investment. That's definitely been the case in recent weeks. (Gold hit a 28-year high Wednesday as the dollar flirted with record lows.)
On top of that, gold is priced in U.S. dollars, which means foreign buyers can buy it at a discount to U.S. consumers as the dollar continues to fall, which drives up demand and therefore prices.
And while some jewelers set prices by what they paid at the time they bought these precious metals and gems, others continuously jack up prices to reflect the going rate.
That makes it crucial for consumers to comparison shop, warns Renée Newman, author of "The Jewelry Handbook." "It's no longer a given that a more expensive piece is better," she says.
You'll need to research — and then compare — those factors that affect a piece's quality and desirability. An independent appraisal couldn't hurt either if you're eyeing a particularly expensive piece.
(For tips to help you separate the real sparklers, click here and here.) Look for the biggest increases in machine-made jewelry. "There, you're paying mostly for the metal and gems," she says.
"If it's a custom-made, one-of-a-kind piece, you're probably paying more for the craftsmanship." There are a few bargains to be had at the jewelry counter.
Because diamond prices are directly pegged to the U.S. dollar, prices of average-quality stones should be heading lower, says Martin Rapaport, founder of the Rapaport Diamond Report.
"I don't think the weaker dollar has come in time to reduce holiday prices at Wal-Mart," he jokes, "but you should certainly go out and look now." That's not the case for high-end stones, however.
If you're looking for an engagement ring or other jewelry focusing on one or two flawless stones, expect to pay a premium.
Wine
Go ahead. Raise your wine glass in celebration. Because the holiday season is when the bulk of wine is purchased, it's unlikely that you'll see price changes on any but the most expensive and desirable bottles, says Natalie MacLean, editor of Nat Decants, a wine education site.
"With higher demand, ignoring the increase would be a clever marketing strategy," she says. Just don't expect bargains on everything.
With prices on U.S. wines already dropping abroad, it's unlikely you'll see many holiday-related price cuts at home.
(Champagne is always a particularly good deal this time of year. For tips on getting the most value on a bottle, click here.) More substantial changes will show up next fall, when the wines crafted this year are released on the market.
But it's tough to anticipate how much of the change would be a result of the declining dollar as opposed to, say, a particular vintner or region producing a very good year, says MacLean. "The vintage factor is always a large part of the price," she notes.
Cars
If you're looking to buy a car in the next year, you're more or less in luck. Auto prices aren't expected to ratchet up much more than the traditional 1% to 2% between model years.
Heated competition among auto makers makes currency fluctuations less relevant — European manufacturers need to offset price increases to keep U.S. consumers interested in buying their cars over Detroit's, says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley Blue Book.
It doesn't hurt that brand rivalries span continents. Germany's BMW needs to keep prices paced with Japan's Lexus, despite the latter country's more stable relationship to the U.S. dollar.
If there are any increases due to the weak dollar, you can expect them to kick in slowly over the course of the next year as manufacturers replace diminished imported stock with newly built, higher-cost cars.
Aiding the snail's pace are the foreign auto makers' North American plants, whose products are considered domestic goods.
(More than half of U.S. Volkswagen models, for example, are built at its Puebla, Mexico, plant, while BMW recently announced plans to increase production at its Spartanburg, S.C., location.)
Looking at the whole picture, next year might actually make for a better year to buy an import, says Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com. As the U.S. dollar has declined, European auto makers have offered bigger rebates.
"If you look at the prices, they're not going up," he says. "But the incentive spending is going up dramatically." In 2003, an auto maker could offer $2,000 cash back at a cost of €2,040 to its bottom line.
Today, spending that same sum enables them to offer more than $2,900 in rebates to U.S. customers.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
How to Control Your Destiny Through Your Attitude
"Changing your attitude is the most important thing you can do to create the life of your dreams. Joan Gustafson shows you exactly how - in 9 easy steps. Outstanding!"
-- Rick Beneteau, Best-selling author of Success: A Spiritual Matter
Today, your life can start to become truly extraordinary!
Because in just one afternoon, you can learn...
"How you can take control
of your destiny...
and achieve what has seemed
impossible until now."
Continue reading "How to Control Your Destiny Through Your Attitude"
-- Rick Beneteau, Best-selling author of Success: A Spiritual Matter
Today, your life can start to become truly extraordinary!
Because in just one afternoon, you can learn...
"How you can take control
of your destiny...
and achieve what has seemed
impossible until now."
Continue reading "How to Control Your Destiny Through Your Attitude"
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